Review: Bhoot
Baradwaj Rangan
Baradwaj Rangan
(C) sitagita.com - June 6, 2003
It's unlikely you've ever seen anything as claustrophobic as the first
hour of Bhoot, which details in almost documentary-like fashion - no
cuteness, no syrupy background music - the lives of a yuppie couple
(Ajay Devgan, Urmila Matondkar) that moves into a Mumbai high-rise.
The two seem to have no friends. No family. And they're surrounded by
bizarre types - a creepy watchman, a rosary-flipping lady with a shock
of white hair and eyes perpetually focussed on an infinite beyond, and
a maidservant (the wonderfully loony Seema Biswas) who appears a bit
possessed herself.
In this airtight universe, Ram Gopal Varma unsettles you in the most
unexpected ways, with enormous help from Vishal Sinha's
cinematography, Dwarak Warrier's sound effects and Salim-Sulaiman's
background score. From the stylish opening credits that show a spirit
rising from a funeral pyre to the play of light on an elevator as it
creaks and groans in transit, from the spookily watery view of the
high-rise through a rain-soaked windshield to the close-ups of a doll
that tease you with your familiarity of the Child's Play films, each
shot is deliberately composed to create the illusion of some sort of
parallel universe - things 'look' normal but are otherwise
disturbingly unfamiliar. And there's so much quietness, the sudden
rainfall sounds like gunfire and the buzz of the calling bell makes
your heart stop.
So it's no surprise Urmila thinks she's seen a ghost, especially after
learning that the previous occupant of her apartment died
mysteriously. Ajay doesn't believe her. He's Mr. Practical, who
proclaims in mock seriousness, "Doctor ne kaha hai tum paagal ho gayi
ho," when she anxiously awaits the results of her psychiatric
evaluation.
But she knows - and we know - that this isn't simply her mind playing
tricks. Varma orchestrates a couple of superb, surreal set pieces - at
a crowded movie theatre and an equally crowded beach - that tell us
there's more to this business and, along with Urmila's strong,
mannered portrayal that's very much in tune with the deliberateness of
the initial parts of the film, it's definitely unsettling, this first
hour.
But once this mood is established - no, carefully sculpted - Bhoot
falls apart spectacularly, becoming derivative (The Exorcist meets
What Lies Beneath) and silly. The more things are explained, the less
intriguing it all is. The sustained, stomach-churning dread
degenerates to a procession of cheap 'boo' tactics. The flashy
technique that earlier signalled a unique aloofness now seems merely
attention-getting; the showy dissolves and the millisecond fade-outs
to white appear the handiwork of a director in see-what-I-can-do mode.
And the sealed-off atmosphere evaporates as the stars troop in - Nana
Patekar as a cop full of audience-pleasing comebacks, Rekha as a
medium, Tanuja and Fardeen Khan as keys to the mystery, Victor
Banerjee as a troubled psychiatrist. Like Ajay Devgan, they all do
rock solid work, but unlike Ajay's role, their minuscule,
underdeveloped parts may have been better served by unfamiliar faces.
The one scene that gets you going is when Rekha's belief in the occult
clashes with Banerjee's rationalism, but this is a brief flash of
unpredictability amidst increasingly predictable happenings.
The terrific start deserved a less tiresome finish. However, this
analysis comes about only after you exit the theatre. Inside, for the
most part, you'll be too busy chewing your fingernails to notice that,
somewhere along the line, this film about a spirit has lost its soul.
virenpratapsingh
this is my analysis...............
this is Urmila's show all the way. Probably
after a long time this is not JUST a RGV show, but also Urmila's show.
I
think she should get the awards here. she is chilling..
However, the movie for itself is nothing like Varma's previous movies.
The movie starts off very well but the second half is a major let
down.
The first 40 mins are as good as it can get and the atmosphere is
supremely created and the RGV stamp is right there. But then it is a
kinda
like Ramsay Bandhu movie revisted.
and didnt RGV say, he wants to create the fear from within..well, he
does that for the first 40 mins..but then why the twisted necks and
floating bodies ?
In Technical aspects, the movie is probably Varma's best till date.
sounds, cameras, Background score(here is another award), atmosphere
are
superb, but the script is where RGV probably overlooked. Also there is
a
clear inpsiration from various other flicks that I can think off right
away,no doubt about that.
What was all that about Tanuja telling the 'bhoot' to go away ? what
is
RGV trying to say ? that was ridiculous...unless I missed something
obvious ?
and what is up with the dialogues, "meri biwi mein bhoot hai .."
Ajay is also good and sincere.There are several scenes where he does
very good in the first half, but he doesnt have anything in the second
half.
Nana Patekar delivers, but boy why such a small role and infact his
role doesnt even blend with the flow and the story, almost like a side
track...but his lines are great....quereshi, liyaqat quereshi.
Lets hope RGV covers up for Nana and Ajay in Ab Tak chappan(which is
what I am looking forward to the most from the movies produced by
Varma
Corp as I am a big fan of Nana and he has a powerful role after a long
time) and EK respetively.
Victor Banerjee, such a great actor is wasted. I am surprised he is
not
even "used" well...I mean RGV is usually a master of using even the
smallest and inconspicuous of characters...witness, Vijay Raaz in
Company
or say the characters in Jungle.
Rekha is good, but I thought she comes a little too late to the show
and by
that time the script has already wavered away. tanuja wasted
again...didnt even realize why she was needed...
some sort of a disappointment from Varma..of course, by his standards.
The best thing about all his movies has been a taut and perfect
script.
that is missing here. The other thing I got from the movie was he was
'trying' to correct the mistake or failure of Raat more than
satisfying himself(which he has done with most of his prior movies)
The movie is worth to be seen in the cinema for the first half, but
dont expect a Company or Kaun...
b_ra...@hotmail.com (Baradwaj Rangan) wrote in message news:<c04b79a9.03060...@posting.google.com>...
Raghu Jetley
[said]
You should have atleast put a spoiler alert.
Raghu Jetley
> "Raghu Jetley" <jraghu...@yahoo.com> wrote
>
>> virenpratapsingh wrote:
>> [said]
>>
>> You should have atleast put a spoiler alert.
>
Actually, it was just a couple of small spoilers.
Raghu Jetley
And even that maybe disputed. I think, I was quick to jump the
gun, it maybe OK to read his post.
virenpratapsingh
Do you KNOW what you are TALKING ?
This is what you said and I quote "> Thanks Raghu. I read ur post
before that idiot's post."
LOL.You havent even read my post but have concluded that I am an
IDIOT.
Here is my advice
"If you think, I am an idiot..then dont read my messages.PERIOD!"
and still if you want to, SHOW me one instance where I have revealed
anything about the movie BHOOT, which can be called a
spolier...ANYTHING!
"rkusenet" <rkus...@sympatico.ca> wrote in message news:<bbqj09$c8149$1...@ID-75254.news.dfncis.de>...
> "Raghu Jetley" <jraghu...@yahoo.com> wrote
>
> > virenpratapsingh wrote:
> > [said]
> >
> > You should have atleast put a spoiler alert.
>
> Thanks Raghu. I read ur post before that idiot's post.
>
> rk-
Raghu Jetley
> Mr rkusenet,
>
> Do you KNOW what you are TALKING ?
>
> This is what you said and I quote "> Thanks Raghu. I read ur post
> before that idiot's post."
>
> LOL.You havent even read my post but have concluded that I am an
> IDIOT.
It's my mistake, not RK's. He assumed that you have spoilers, because
I said so. I apologize.
>
> Here is my advice
> "If you think, I am an idiot..then dont read my messages.PERIOD!"
>
> and still if you want to, SHOW me one instance where I have revealed
> anything about the movie BHOOT, which can be called a
> spolier...ANYTHING!
Tiny bits actually - like the Tanuja thing - though it's not a big spoiler.
About 'heads' etc.
Kamesh
>
> "Baradwaj Rangan" <b_ra...@hotmail.com> wrote :
>
> ... snipped
>
> Just came back after seeing this movie. What sort of movie is this
> which encourages superstition and other crap. I am deeply disappointed
> to see RGV resorting to bhoot-pret stuff. Thought Ramsay brothers have
> monopoly over such crap. I never liked such movies, including Exorcist.
> How many times I will see elevator going up or down. And why does Seema
> Biswas, Rekha, NanaPatekar have to look so unnatural, as if they
> themselves are bhoot.
That's how I felt but then I had seen it on Video so I was allowing some
leeway because of that. I thought he will end with some scientific
explanations but he resorted to the routine possessed by atma stuff.
>
> On the positive side, Urmilla was super. Should walk away with all
> awards. Madhuri is yet to do a role like this.
>
> Ajay Devgun was also equally good. I am beginning to like this guy.
> While we are debating SRK vs Aamir Khan, I think we are forgetting
> that AD seems to be better than both by a clear margin.
Agreed about AD and Urmila. However, I dont see AD doing a lot of those
light comedy or chick flick type roles. His strengths are his intensity but
his repertoire seems limited. The only comedy I saw him do is Hum Kissi se
Kum nahi...(the less said about it the better)
Kamesh
>
> rk-
> ps: Saw trailor of Chalte Chalte which was running in the same
> multiplex. From the tailor itself it looks crap. I will wait for
> DVD/video. Could not muster courage to waste money after today's
> debacle.
I have very few options but to watch these on Video....so money saved always
but I miss out on the big screen excitement.
Raghu Jetley
> "Baradwaj Rangan" <b_ra...@hotmail.com> wrote :
>
> ... snipped
>
> Just came back after seeing this movie. What sort of movie is this
> which encourages superstition and other crap. I am deeply disappointed
> to see RGV resorting to bhoot-pret stuff. Thought Ramsay brothers have
> monopoly over such crap. I never liked such movies, including
> Exorcist. How many times I will see elevator going up or down. And
> why does Seema Biswas, Rekha, NanaPatekar have to look so unnatural,
> as if they themselves are bhoot.
This is what I also felt - All the extra wierd characters were totally
unneccesary. This wasn't RGV's movie it was Urmila's.
>
> In nutshell, I consider my money wasted.
>
> On the positive side, Urmilla was super. Should walk away with all
> awards. Madhuri is yet to do a role like this.
>
> Ajay Devgun was also equally good. I am beginning to like this guy.
> While we are debating SRK vs Aamir Khan, I think we are forgetting
> that AD seems to be better than both by a clear margin.
AD is easily one of the best actors in the industry today. I said this
much before Company. Right after seeing Zakhm.
AK scores over him only because AK acts mostly in good movies
& does few crap movies whereas AD acts mostly in crap movies
& does a few good movies.
>
> rk-
> ps: Saw trailor of Chalte Chalte which was running in the same
> multiplex.
Apparently it's a flop.
Raghu Jetley
> That's how I felt but then I had seen it on Video so I was allowing
> some leeway because of that. I thought he will end with some
> scientific explanations but he resorted to the routine possessed by
> atma stuff.
What scientific explanation can you think of how Urmila was
acting - any scientific explanation ending would have been horrible.
And why should there be a scientifical explanation - did Sixth Sense
have a scientific explanation ?
Supernatural is OK as long as it works - Sixth Sense works, Aks doesn't.
Cricketislife!
>> ps: Saw trailor of Chalte Chalte which was running in the same
> DVD/video. Could not muster courage to waste money after today's
> debacle.
Do u get original DVD/Vcds there so quickly or pirated stuff, thirutu
VCD?!
--
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Kamesh
"Raghu Jetley" <jraghu...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:bcgt4d$iok99$2...@ID-27262.news.dfncis.de...
Firstly, Sixth Sense and Fallen deal with the interaction of the
supernatural with the protoganist (sp..) alone. The audience knows it but in
the movie, it is just between two people. That's why the two were brilliant
as opposed to the "Tales from the Crypt I, II, III etc".
In Bhoot when it ends, everybody in the movie is convinced that there is
that ghost in the movie and otherwise.
In Sixth Sense, nobody but the Boy knows about his condition....In Fallen,
it is only about how Denzel deal with Ezazel (sp..)
I thought RGV will end the movie in an equally classy (scientific) manner.
You could say, I had different expectations from the end.
Kamesh
Kamesh
>
> > Firstly, Sixth Sense and Fallen deal with the interaction of the
> > supernatural with the protoganist (sp..) alone.
>
>
I thought the whole deal about the formless Ezajel passing through people
was very chilling. Imagine for a moment such a thing exists. How do you deal
with it? That made a big point and I was taken in by the idea. Note, the
idea could be interpreted as simply as "It's impossible to rid the world of
Evil". It didnt have any hideous figures with toothpaste and tomato sauce
oozing out of people so it's way out of G.Ramsay's league.
> Since u have put a spolier in the subject, I can go ahead. The way the
movie
> was going, by half way thru I was extremely hopeful that Urmi's character
will
> end up like that of Ed Norton in Primal Fear; that is a person faking
> schziophornia (sp?). I was suspecting something about Manjeet's death and
> thought Urmi was taking revenge on behalf of manjeet(may be she is her
> sister/best friend).
Couldnt agree more. I thought there will be that schizophrenia aspect and
one of the two (AD, Urmi) is directly involved with Manjeet.
>
> At the end it turned out to be Zee horror show. The last scene involving
Fardeen
> Khan flying was unintentionally funny.
>
> All in all a big disappointment from RGV.
>
Yup. Did you get the feeling that RGV put NP in to provide some comic
relief. Victor Banerjee was wasted. Rekha was ridiculous. Seema Biswas as
the "Hateli" bai was pretty OK, though unnecessary. Tanuja needed some
pocket money I guess.
Kamesh
> rk-
>
>
Raghu Jetley
> Firstly, Sixth Sense and Fallen deal with the interaction of the
> supernatural with the protoganist (sp..) alone. The audience knows it
> but in the movie, it is just between two people.
I don't understand - can you explain.
> That's why the two
> were brilliant as opposed to the "Tales from the Crypt I, II, III
> etc".
>
> In Bhoot when it ends, everybody in the movie is convinced that there
> is that ghost in the movie and otherwise.
>
> In Sixth Sense, nobody but the Boy knows about his condition....In
> Fallen, it is only about how Denzel deal with Ezazel (sp..)
Again, I don't understand.
>
> I thought RGV will end the movie in an equally classy (scientific)
> manner. You could say, I had different expectations from the end.
Like what - can you think of one - cheesy is OK ?
Raghu Jetley
> Since u have put a spolier in the subject, I can go ahead. The way
> the movie was going, by half way thru I was extremely hopeful that
> Urmi's character will end up like that of Ed Norton in Primal Fear;
> that is a person faking schziophornia (sp?). I was suspecting
> something about Manjeet's death and thought Urmi was taking revenge
> on behalf of manjeet(may be she is her sister/best friend).
That would have been a worse ending, IMHO.
> At the end it turned out to be Zee horror show. The last scene
> involving Fardeen Khan flying was unintentionally funny.
That was the most unexpected stuff in the movie -seeing
Fardeen Khan fly.
But the story at that point needed some magic to convince
Nana Patekar that she was indeed possessed.
Kamesh
> Kamesh wrote:
> > Firstly, Sixth Sense and Fallen deal with the interaction of the
> > supernatural with the protoganist (sp..) alone. The audience knows it
> > but in the movie, it is just between two people.
>
> I don't understand - can you explain.
These movies do not make an attempt to explain the supernatural behavior to
every other character in the movie. The relationship of the supernatural is
restricted to the kid (in SS) or Denzel W.(in Fallen). When the movie ends,
it's something the two come to terms with respectively and the rest of the
characters in the movie are still ignorant of the supernatural. You in the
audience know that ..that's all. Since knowledge of the existence of the
supernatural is restricted to very few, imo it allowed the director to score
the big hit.
It's a similar theme in Untouchable, iirc...the fact that BW and SLJ
represent two extremes is known to very few in the movie, i think BW's son
knows it vaguely..that's about it. BW's wife doesnt know it at all.
Your point is valid though that in a Bhoot - Pret movie, it is difficult to
provide scientific explanations. The thing I didnt like is RGV basically
provides support to theories like existence of spirits etc. thus undermining
the psychiatric community that Victor Banerjee represents. I would have
liked it better, if RGV had not tried to convince VB that the Bhoot exists.
Does this mean, anybody who suffers symptoms like Multiple Personality
Disorder etc should be considered possessed by a spirit?
My peeve is that I considered RGV as a thoughtful, insightful and
intelligent director. I expected him to handle the ending better.
Kamesh
yeskay
rkusenet wrote:
>
> Ajay Devgun was also equally good. I am beginning to like this guy.
> While we are debating SRK vs Aamir Khan, I think we are forgetting
> that AD seems to be better than both by a clear margin.
>
Hell yeah, other than Angry young man roles in which one of AD movies he is
comical. Besides in the 90s he has made too many Mithunda type movies.
He is also as limited as these two. Only Govinda and AB are complete actors
in this generation. SK and Balraj Sahni were in the previous.
> rk-
> ps: Saw trailor of Chalte Chalte which was running in the same
> multiplex. From the tailor itself it looks crap.
Yes, SRK's dresses are also pathetic in the movie.
yeskay
rkusenet wrote:
>
> On the positive side, Urmilla was super. Should walk away with all
> awards. Madhuri is yet to do a role like this.
Madhuri acted scared in 100 days.
Shishir Yerramilli
with somewhat low expectations so I ended up enjoying it.I guess I
also was swayed by the audience in theatre with the shrieks followed
by giggles.I will say one thing ,after Raat ,RGV learnt very quickly
his limitations when it comes to horror.I dont think he feels he has
the capability to make "serious horror" like The Exorcist,Rosemarys
Baby,John Carpenters Prince Of Darkness ,Sixth Sense or The
Others.When many complain about the frequent doorbells and closeups of
the doll,Nana Patekars glorious hamming(Qureshi,Inspector Liyaqat
Qureishi),Rekhas overthetop performance and many blatantly
manipulative thrills,please keep in mind that all this and more was
intended as a self referential homage to horror films ,in many ways
this movie like RGV's previous thriller Kaun,reminded me of Wes
Craven's Scream,the ultimate movie when it comes to manipulative throw
up your popcorn in fright thrills and self referential humor
concerning the genre of horror films.Yes,it was a pretty routine plot
and ending with Fardeen Khan was just silly but it was not RGV's
intention to do an Ingmar Bergman.This movie is gloriously,wonderfully
,overthetop pulp worthy of being mentioned with Dario Argento and
Carpenter's works ,both of whom were inspired by even more
unpretentious Hitchcock.It has to be realized that horror is not a
respectable genre in even Hollywood,The Exorcist was the first ever
horror movie to be nominated for an Academy Award and may not be the
last but it will be respected for attaining that distinction since
there havent been others for 26 years until The Sixth Sense in
1999.Even The Exorcist had so much subtext and metaphorical content
that the author William Peter Blatty admitted that a theory submitted
by his colleague that the movie was a metaphor for the disruption of
the relationship between two priests by a girl,could be
accurate,though he admitted this toungue in cheek.Again The Sixth
Sense though it supplied a new plot device for the most imitative film
genre ie horror(yes more imitative than Bollywood or HongKong) the
movie was essentially a film about relationships,which heavyhanded
Shyamalan never let us forget.
Coming back to RGV,I would like to point that since Company ,RGV has
reached a pinnacle where no shot ,or scene in his film is
redundant.The first time I saw the spikes I knew that something was
going to happen to someone with that.The same way when I saw
Kanu(Antara Mali) in Company briefly but surely glance at Yadav
placing the gun in the drawer,it all lasted two seconds but didnt seem
like much but clearly you see the payoff that seemingly incosequential
eye movement in the third act.Some reviewers asked how did Kanu know
where the gun was placed when she went beserk and wanted to kill
someone ,anyone,I tell them pay some attention for gods sakes,its
worth it!
There are quite a few things that are reminiscent of RGVs previous
films.Most obvious would Ajay Devgan and the agent in the car in the
rain with the windshield wipers doing their thing.Remember the agent
was the same actor in Company who AD kills in the car during the rain
with the windsheild wipers.Urmilas hallucinations in the movie theater
are a combination of the ideas in Raat(the scene in the theater) and
Kaun(the people staring).Seema Biswas was a maid in Company and she
does her wonderfully campy weird maid act in this film.AD's character
had the same direct nononsense nature and deadpan humor of Malik in
Company(ghar mein koi margaya to bechara ghar ka kya kasoor) ,of
course thats where the similarity ends.As for Nana ,I dont understand
why people think he provoked UNintentional laughter,it was quite
intentionally out there ,how else are we supposed to react to "mein
uske baare mein sab kuch jaane,sub kuch.Kab kaam mein bharti hua,kaisa
kaam karta tha,I want everyting including coffee"! or "meri biwi ki
rai hai ki mujhe bhi psychiatrist ki zaroorat hai".
I will admit I could do without the smug pronouncement in the
beginning that pregnant and weak hearted people stay away from the
movie but the fantastic opening credits which managed to be intense
and yet ominously soothing made me forgive this faux pax.Apparently
the audience got over it too as the film recieived an hearty applause
at the end in which I participated wholeheartedly.
To make a long story short:I loved it and I recommend it!
Sydney Assbasket
>Biswas, Rekha, NanaPatekar have to look so unnatural, as if they
>themselves are bhoot.
LOL
Seema Biswas' character was creepy for no reason whatsoever. Rekha looked like
she'd been dead for a year or two herself :-)
I have six locks on my door all in a row. When I go out, I lock every
other one. I figure no matter how long somebody stands there picking
the locks, they are always locking three.
- Elayne Boosler
Remove "bination" to reply.
cricfan
"Baradwaj Rangan" <b_ra...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:c04b79a9.03060...@posting.google.com...
> Bhoot
>
> Baradwaj Rangan
>
> (C) sitagita.com - June 6, 2003
>
> It's unlikely you've ever seen anything as claustrophobic as the first
> hour of Bhoot, which details in almost documentary-like fashion - no
> cuteness, no syrupy background music - the lives of a yuppie couple
> (Ajay Devgan, Urmila Matondkar) that moves into a Mumbai high-rise.
< wonderful review stuff snipped>
I saw the film yesterday. I had great expectations, since it followed
Varma's superb 'Company' and I had
heard people raving about it. I was quite disappointed. The first 30 mins
were good, the next thirty were repititive
and the remaining 1 hour was quite awful (imho). I completely agree with
Rangan's review.
One can wait for the video :-)
Cheers
Arun
Cricketislife!
>
> I saw the film yesterday. I had great expectations, since it followed
> Varma's superb 'Company' and I had heard people raving about it. I was
quite disappointed. The first 30 mins were good, the next thirty were
repititive and the remaining 1 hour was quite awful (imho). I
> completely agree with Rangan's review.
I agree completely with that. I saw the movie last week sometime and
found it not too great.
Ritu
Ditto here! I too saw this film this week-end. The whole thing
reminded me of my childhood when we used to huddle around some older
cousin or friend during power cuts at night who would tell us these
ghost stories accompanied with full sound effects :).
I found the film a glamourous version of the Ramsay brother films. The
sound effects and shocks seemed too deliberate. One started expecting
them after a while. And the ending was too tame. I feel that films of
this kind should have some kind of anti-climax (atleast one,
preferably a series) to satiate the viewer.. a la Sixth Sense. There
was a very feeble anti-climax here not enough to give a punch.
By and large an average watchable film but nothing to rave about.
Actually since the film is such a big hit in India one should have
guessed :). With the current brain-dead state of the Hindi film
audience, a film being a hit is hardly a credential!
I saw another film this week-end that I really enjoyed... Mr and Mrs
Iyer. Has anyone else seen it? Baradawaj I was hoping you had a review
on that one :)!. A well made film. Has a few loopholes but overall
good. Rahul Bose is pretty good and Konkana Sen is briliant.
Cheers
Ritu
Raghu Jetley
> By and large an average watchable film but nothing to rave about.
> Actually since the film is such a big hit in India one should have
> guessed :). With the current brain-dead state of the Hindi film
> audience, a film being a hit is hardly a credential!
However, very few people in RAMLI raved about Bhoot.
Most people found it OK - except for RK & Arun, who found
it to be bad.
Ritu
I guess that's because the RGV followers are not as rabid as the SRK
followers? :) Waise, I wonder what kind of film RGV and SRK would make
together? Ofcourse RGV using a non-actor like SRK is a remote
possability but still interesting to speculate!
Ritu
yeskay
RGV produced Dil Se.
Shishir Yerramilli
I spoke to an author who often writes about horror movies and he had
claimed that horror movies are often the most imitative of their genre
and I have to agree.The latest trend in horror was started by Sixth
Sense and only a few months later ,we saw a similar twist in the
brilliant movie(not horror) Fight Club.Of course Fight Club was
written in the 80's but Chuck Palahunik ,the author stated that The
Sixth Sense definitely helped people accept the film more.Horror
movies that were inspired by Sixth Sense so far include The
Others(which took it a step further) and Frailty among others.Though I
like these movies I really dont see the need for twists,filmmakers
like David Lynch,earlier William Friedkin and now even Shyamalan(with
the movie Signs) realized that their movies were much richer as they
held various interpretations on their own merit sans twists.I think
this mindless trend of twists does not help matters at all.
There
> was a very feeble anti-climax here not enough to give a punch.
I feel Bhoot was more than a horror film,like Kaun ,there was
something about the ominous nature of media television,heck it even
played a part in AD and Urmilas lovemaking!I dont know how to
articulate this further.....John Carpenter and Wes Craven also make
exploitation horror flicks but they are talented filmmakers whose
political and social concerns show through their compelling images.I
feel RGV belongs in th same category.
Instant Karma
>> By and large an average watchable film but nothing to rave about.
>> Actually since the film is such a big hit in India one should have
>> guessed :).
Bhoot is not a big hit. It is an average hit and
that too mainly because it was made at a very low
cost. Though RGV was too eager too call it a hit
prematurely in the Ist week itself.
With the current brain-dead state of the Hindi film
>> audience, a film being a hit is hardly a credential!
Was the Hindi film audience brain alive when
movies like Coolie, Mard, Himmatwaala,
Shahenshah etc were reeking in moolah by
the crores?
-Ram Jaane-
Raghu Jetley
> I feel Bhoot was more than a horror film,like Kaun ,there was
> something about the ominous nature of media television,heck it even
> played a part in AD and Urmilas lovemaking!
What do you mean ?
Ritu
> > Ritu wrote:
> >> By and large an average watchable film but nothing to rave about.
> >> Actually since the film is such a big hit in India one should have
> >> guessed :).
>
> Bhoot is not a big hit. It is an average hit and
> that too mainly because it was made at a very low
> cost. Though RGV was too eager too call it a hit
> prematurely in the Ist week itself.
>
> With the current brain-dead state of the Hindi film
> >> audience, a film being a hit is hardly a credential!
>
> Was the Hindi film audience brain alive when
> movies like Coolie, Mard, Himmatwaala,
> Shahenshah etc were reeking in moolah by
> the crores?
Nopes... they were as brain dead. Mainstream audience has been
brain-dead from the time good meaningful films stopped being a part of
popular cinema. I would put that period to the early 70s. 80s was the
worst phase in popular Indian cinema. 90s is better but we still don't
have an audience discerning enough to make a film like 'Pyaasa' or
'Sahib bibi aur ghulam' a hit!
Ritu
> -Ram Jaane-
What is it with changing an alias every week :)?
Ritu
I mean directed not funded. Dil Se was a Mani Ratnam film all the way!
Ram Jaane
> Nopes... they were as brain dead. Mainstream audience has been
> brain-dead from the time good meaningful films stopped being a part of
> popular cinema. I would put that period to the early 70s.
Does that mean the Shammi Kapoor films are beyond such scrutiny?
Also would films like "Jewel Thief" or "Prem Pujari" be called
meaningful?
> 80s was the
> worst phase in popular Indian cinema. 90s is better
Does that mean SRK's films are much better than AB's films of
the 80s?
> but we still don't
> have an audience discerning enough to make a film like 'Pyaasa' or
> 'Sahib bibi aur ghulam' a hit!
It never was and probably never will be.
-Ram-
Ram Jaane
> Nopes... they were as brain dead. Mainstream audience has been
> brain-dead from the time good meaningful films stopped being a part of
> popular cinema. I would put that period to the early 70s.
Does that mean the Shammi Kapoor films are beyond such scrutiny?
Also would films like "Jewel Thief" or "Prem Pujari" be called
meaningful?
> 80s was the
> worst phase in popular Indian cinema. 90s is better
Does that mean SRK's films are much better than AB's films of
the 80s?
> but we still don't
> have an audience discerning enough to make a film like 'Pyaasa' or
> 'Sahib bibi aur ghulam' a hit!
It never was and probably never will be.
-Ram-
Arjun Pandit
> >> By and large an average watchable film but nothing to rave about.
> >> Actually since the film is such a big hit in India one should have
> >> guessed :).
>
> Bhoot is not a big hit. It is an average hit and
> that too mainly because it was made at a very low
> cost.
If Bhoot is made for low cost, then CC must have been cheaper.
Director fukat mei, Hero fukat mei, Heroine fukat mei, MD fukat mei
(or must have been like peanuts given that Jatin Lalit have been
giving crap music for years now), all shooting in India, must have
been made for like 2-3 crores.
> Though RGV was too eager too call it a hit
> prematurely in the Ist week itself.
http://www.indiafm.com/boxoffice/summary.shtml
--
A1
[Super Hit]
* Andaaz (Delhi-U.P., Bihar, Rajasthan; 'A' elsewhere)
* Bhoot (Mumbai, Delhi, South; '+B' elsewhere)
* Chalte Chalte (Mumbai, Delhi; 'A' elsewhere)
---
Premature hit's collections (1st week) in Bombay: 1.02 Cr.
Super Duper hit's collections (1st week) in Bombay: 0.98 Cr.
> Was the Hindi film audience brain alive when
> movies like Coolie, Mard, Himmatwaala,
> Shahenshah etc were reeking in moolah by
> the crores?
So you agree they were raking in moolah by the crores? The key word is
"raking in". There RK, AB has 3 super duper hits in Coolie, Mard and
Shahenshah. Please update your database with a tinyurl reference :)
>
>
> -Ram Jaane-
Ram Jaane
> If Bhoot is made for low cost, then CC must have been cheaper.
> Director fukat mei, Hero fukat mei, Heroine fukat mei, MD fukat mei
> (or must have been like peanuts given that Jatin Lalit have been
> giving crap music for years now), all shooting in India, must have
> been made for like 2-3 crores.
CC was made at a low cost but Bhoot was still cheaper
as i read somewhere. Anyway, don't Ajay Devgan and Matondkar
have some kind of contract with RGV so that they can act in
all his films for almost free? :) BTW, we are neglecting the
cost of publicity totally and Bhoot had much more publicity
than CC which was portrayed as a simple films and never
expected to rake in so much moolah.
> So you agree they were raking in moolah by the crores? The key word is
> "raking in".
I never doubted they were hits. But the question is how big a hit
they were. Mard was made for a pretty high cost as was Shahenshah.
If you are not aware, i have conceded that AB had much more number
of hits but SRK has more big hits than anyone else for the number of
films he has done.
-Ram-
Arjun Pandit
> arjunpa...@indya.com (Arjun Pandit) wrote in message news:<246f4bf5.03070...@posting.google.com>...
>
> > If Bhoot is made for low cost, then CC must have been cheaper.
> > Director fukat mei, Hero fukat mei, Heroine fukat mei, MD fukat mei
> > (or must have been like peanuts given that Jatin Lalit have been
> > giving crap music for years now), all shooting in India, must have
> > been made for like 2-3 crores.
>
> CC was made at a low cost but Bhoot was still cheaper
> as i read somewhere. Anyway, don't Ajay Devgan and Matondkar
> have some kind of contract with RGV so that they can act in
> all his films for almost free? :)
They might be contracted to him, but not Nitin Manmohan who happens to
be the producer for Bhoot. Why would RGV ask Urmila to act for free
when NM is paying the money?
> BTW, we are neglecting the
> cost of publicity totally and Bhoot had much more publicity
> than CC which was portrayed as a simple films and never
> expected to rake in so much moolah.
True. So your argument goes out of the window in your own words. Bhoot
more expensive than CC. But still Bhoot and CC are A1 Class Hits. In
other words, Bhoot made more money than CC to be regarded as an equal
hit. You are conflicting yourself, it sometimes helps to keep in mind
what you said in your last post :)
> I never doubted they were hits. But the question is how big a hit
> they were. Mard was made for a pretty high cost as was Shahenshah.
> If you are not aware, i have conceded that AB had much more number
> of hits but SRK has more big hits than anyone else for the number of
> films he has done.
If you put films like Yes Boss as a big hit and then prove that SRK
had more big hits than AB, what can I say? Yes Boss was at best an
average hit, making less money than say a Dostana.
Ram Jaane
> True. So your argument goes out of the window in your own words. Bhoot
> more expensive than CC. But still Bhoot and CC are A1 Class Hits. In
> other words, Bhoot made more money than CC to be regarded as an equal
> hit. You are conflicting yourself, it sometimes helps to keep in mind
> what you said in your last post :)
I am not sure about that. While one site says Bhoot is an A1 hit(albeit
with only +B performance outside the metros) the other site says
CC is the year's first genuine hit of the year. CC wins both
ways anyway. Considering that Bhoot also was a more expensive
proposition, CC's performance is still better.
> > If you put films like Yes Boss as a big hit
Please point the post where i said Yes Boss was a big hit.
Even without it, SRK has almost double the number of big
hits than AB for one-third of the number of movies done.
Anyway, this is going to be my last response to you
regarding this topic as it seems to be going around in circles.
-Ram-
Shishir Yerramilli
My perception of that scene was that their intimacy seems to
interrupted by the ominous media barrage.They both seemed somewhat
uncomfortable but never bothered to turn the damn TV off!Of course we
see the ghost and Urmila in the same frame for the first time when
Urmila is watching TV.Even in RGV's Kaun ,Urmila's paranoia is
actually excarbated by the TV.
Arjun Pandit
> "Ram Jaane" <ram_ja...@hotmail.com> wrote
> > I am not sure about that. While one site says Bhoot is an A1 hit(albeit
> > with only +B performance outside the metros) the other site says
> > CC is the year's first genuine hit of the year. CC wins both
> > ways anyway. Considering that Bhoot also was a more expensive
> > proposition, CC's performance is still better.
>
> To me it sounds B1 mostly.
>
> rk-
From IndiaFM: http://www.indiafm.com/boxoffice/summary.shtml
"But all said and done, BHOOT continues to cast its spell at the
box-office, even in its sixth week. At some cinema halls of Mumbai
specially, the film continues to attract audiences despite a strong
flow of new releases. "
Strong flow of new releases includes Chalte Chalte. Please note there
is no mention of CC casting its spell in its 4th/5th week.
yeskay
Ritu wrote:
>
> I saw another film this week-end that I really enjoyed... Mr and Mrs
> Iyer. Has anyone else seen it? Baradawaj I was hoping you had a review
> on that one :)!. A well made film. Has a few loopholes but overall
> good. Rahul Bose is pretty good and Konkana Sen is briliant.
What loopholes were there in the movie, in particular?
I didn't find the romance angle between the main two chars out of place.
Altho' I didn't find it will happpen in reality. But since that was main plot
of the movie, it was not totally unbelievable.